On a lucky occasion, wandering into the Field House after hours can render a surreal exposure. With dimmed lights and a faint reflection from the hardwood floors, the old gym almost seems false, an apparition, a sight linked in limbo of a storied past and a still-used future. Maybe it’s… Read more »

Words are so simple. They are just letters and syllables threaded together, their message shaped entirely by the person behind them. They can convey our deepest sympathies in the face of tragedy, our biting scorn in response to perceived injustice, our laughter when we are most in need of comic… Read more »

Well, it’s certainly been a brief four years my friends. I’ve covered countless beats during that time. I toiled through rebuilding seasons with the soccer teams, a season with each tennis team respectively as they tried to find the right mix, two wonderful years with the women’s hockey team that… Read more »

Wisconsin softball has played well on the road all season. Setting a program record with 10 conference wins away from home, it seemed a forgone conclusion that once Wisconsin finally played at home — weather permitting — the team would keep on rolling. For a large part, that assumption proved… Read more »

On a bittersweet Senior Day, one senior in particular made sure her name won’t be forgotten after she graduates or even after her final game at Goodman Diamond. Hitting her 12th home run in the rubber match of the Wisconsin softball team’s series with Michigan State, senior utility player Whitney… Read more »

It was a somber scene Sunday afternoon as the senior members of the Wisconsin softball team began to realize the inevitable end of their Badger careers, removing their name tags from the dugout lockers after the regular season finale at Goodman Diamond. Michigan State (24-24, 9-10 Big Ten) played the… Read more »

It had been a long time since I had made my last trek to Goodman Diamond. Apparently so long that I missed the memo that everyone knows about what’s going on with Wisconsin softball. Call it a rebirth, call it an emerging powerhouse, call it whatever you want. But in… Read more »

With the regular season coming to a close for the Wisconsin softball team this weekend, it is perfect timing for the Big Ten conference race to come back into focus for the Badgers. After league-leading No. 9 Michigan dropped a pair of games in its series to No. 16 Nebraska… Read more »

Competitive, tough, a bulldog, fun, caring and laid-back are the words Wisconsin softball head coach Yvette Healy and pitchers Cassandra Darrah and Meghan McIntosh used to describe Tracie Adix. They may seem paradoxical, but the two separate phrases are apt descriptions of the Badgers’ third-year pitching coach. Like Adix, plenty… Read more »

It’s the top of the seventh, down one run with one out and the bases empty: a familiar situation in which the Wisconsin softball team found itself again Sunday. And yet again, the Badgers persevered, bringing in four runs to secure another come-from-behind victory. There’s no question Wisconsin has developed… Read more »

Take a quick glance at the results of Wisconsin’s big three sports and you would likely chalk up this year as one of the more successful years in recent memory. The football team appeared in its third Rose Bowl in as many years after winning the Big Ten Championship against… Read more »

After destroying future Daily Cardinal Editor-in-Chief Abby Becker in a Keystone Light chug-off, incoming Badger Herald EIC Katherine Krueger set a bold standard for her team. “I challenge you to be as lazy as you can today, because it doesn’t take much to beat a paper of such low quality!… Read more »

Dallas Cowboys surprise with first round pick of Travis FrederickWith the 31st overall pick in the NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys surprised fans and draft analysts alike by selecting Wisconsin center Travis Frederick in the first round. Frederick decided to forgo his senior season with the Badgers for the NFL… Read more »

With a slightly more spring-like afternoon Wednesday at Goodman Diamond, warmer temperatures did not accompany hotter hitters in a Big Ten doubleheader between Wisconsin and Northwestern. But despite only scraping together eight hits between the two games, the Badgers found a way to score seven runs, taking the two games… Read more »

From its humble beginnings in a New York City hotel conference room in 1980 to the now three-day spectacle held in Radio City Music Hall, the NFL draft has elevated to the status of an ultimate live in prime-time reality show as analysts, fans and players wait in desperate anticipation… Read more »

The last time The Badger Herald beat The Daily Cardinal in softball, Lance Armstrong was still an American hero, the world was beginning to embrace Bieber fever and MTV’s Jersey Shore had only completed its first viewer-enriching season. Although no time in history can ever hope to repeat such a… Read more »

“Legends” and “Leaders.” Not exactly what we might call Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany’s finest moment. The names became laughable monikers that seemed to mock the 12 teams of the Big Ten thrown into divisions in a grab bag manner. Would you consider Indiana a legendary football program? Or two… Read more »

On a rare sunny day this April, the Wisconsin football team capped off its spring season with its annual Spring Game at Camp Randall Saturday. Following a different format than in years past, the offense, team “White,” lost to the defense, team “Cardinal,” 61-47 after a second-half collapse saw the… Read more »

With 12,050 fans on hand to witness the annual Wisconsin football spring game, it was the Badgers’ defense that stole the show Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall. At least, what was left of it. “We’re basically missing six starters on the defensive side that didn’t play a snap today,” head… Read more »

Trading in the cardinal and white for the opportunity to compete in red, white and blue, two members of the Wisconsin women’s hockey team helped earn Team USA a gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship April 9. Senior forward Brianna Decker and junior goaltender Alex Rigsby… Read more »

Late in Monday’s rainy football scrimmage at Camp Randall, a wide receiver donning No. 7 on his jersey reached out and made a nice diving catch. As he jogged back to the sidelines, Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen extended his hand and gave the player a high-five. There wasn’t cheering… Read more »

Wisconsin set a record this year, but it wasn’t by playing games. Instead the Badgers accomplished, if it can be called that, a school record of 37 games without playing a single one at Goodman Diamond. However, whether for better or worse, the Badgers finally played their first home games… Read more »

While addressing the local media after his team’s 6 a.m. Friday morning practice, Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen was asked a question about the program being more open to the public this spring. For Wisconsin, more open really means open at all. Because how many times had a practice been… Read more »

Despite a valiant effort and close matches across the board, No. 75 Wisconsin fell 7-0 to No. 56 Indiana Sunday at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. “The losses are never easy,” Wisconsin head coach Greg Van Emburgh said after the match. “[Indiana] competed well and they played the important points really… Read more »

Oftentimes when teams have disappointing seasons, some quarrels and unrest among players are common. The Wisconsin men’s tennis team, however, could not be a stronger, more tightly-knit unit, regardless of its 2-7 Big Ten conference record. “Playing with these guys is so much fun,” freshman Oskar Wikberg said of his… Read more »

The Badgers’ men’s tennis team pulled off one of its greatest victories of the season with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over No. 58 Purdue on Friday night at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. “For these guys to be able to step up and overcome adversity was great to see,” Wisconsin head… Read more »

Goofy, funny, smiley, motivated, competitive: all words a fellow teammate and coach chose to describe All-American shot putter Danny Block. Block, a junior on the Wisconsin track and field team, was recently named a First-Team All-American after his 20.00 meter throw at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in… Read more »

For many in their final year of high school, second semester is like a dream come true. It is a time when high schoolers across the country secure collegiate enrollment and pursue semester-long vacations filled with skipped classes, blown-off homework and senior prom. But freshman Tori Blake threw that all… Read more »

The hangover has faded, all but disappeared. Spring football and an intriguing quarterback battle has replaced the dark memories of a certain game in Kansas City that’s buried in the furthest reaches of every Wisconsin fan’s mind after less than three weeks. Like every college socialite who pledges to never… Read more »

For the Wisconsin football offensive line, adversity is nothing new. As the Badgers stumbled out of the gates last fall, much of Wisconsin’s slow start was blamed on the offensive line and its inability to open up space for then-senior running back Montee Ball — who was held to one… Read more »

For almost his entire life, James White has never been the lead running back. When he was a three-star running back from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., White was just an accent to his four-star teammate and UNC-commit Giovanni Bernard. When White arrived at Wisconsin, he… Read more »

After a Wednesday practice that was dominated by the defense, it was the offense of the Wisconsin football team that showed its teeth Saturday afternoon in the team’s scrimmage at Camp Randall. The scrimmage, which was attended by 850 fans, saw impressive performances from senior running back James White and… Read more »

When there’s a scandal involving college athletes receiving illegal payments or benefits we rarely, as a society, bat our eyes for a second. When it was reported last week that the Auburn football program allegedly paid members of their football team to keep them from going pro, no one nor… Read more »

A solid offensive performance and a third-set comeback pushed the University of Wisconsin (25-13, 24-26, 17-15) to a 2-1 victory over UW-Green Bay Saturday, earning the team a 2-0 record in the spring season. UW’s offense excelled thanks to sophomores Ellen Chapman, Deme Morales, Courtney Thomas and junior Julie Mikaelsen. Chapman… Read more »

What is the measure of a great coach in college basketball? For Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan, it’s all about consistency. But does that make him great? His resume speaks for itself: 12 years with the Badgers, 12 NCAA tournament berths. No finish lower than fourth in the conference standings. One of… Read more »

As the 2012 fall semester began and the Badgers took their respective positions on athletic fields across campus, hype was everywhere, almost tactile in the air. The discussion of which team would have the best season — would it be the football squad or the women’s hockey team or the… Read more »

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped a first-period penalty shot and finished with 31 saves to help UMass-Lowell rout Wisconsin 6-1 on Friday night in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals. Joseph Pendaza, Christian Folin, Shayne Thompson, Derek Arnold, Adam Chapie and Ryan McGrath scored for the top-seeded River Hawks… Read more »

Slightly laden down with tryptophan and a little too much pumpkin pie from my delayed Thanksgiving celebration, I sat in the press conference room of the Kohl Center at about 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2012. I was tired. I had just spent the entire day conversing with aunts and… Read more »

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Time expired. The bench cleared. And the Badgers tackled Joel Rumpel in a flurry of excitement. They had done it. With a 3-2 win over Colorado College in the WCHA playoff title game, No. 14 Wisconsin claimed its first Broadmoor Trophy since 1998 and punched its… Read more »

ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was a turning point. With the game tied 1-1, goaltender Joel Rumpel made the save of Wisconsin’s season. As the first period wound down, Rumpel gave up a juicy rebound allowing St. Cloud State a backdoor chance. As he went to move across the slot,… Read more »

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time since 2006, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team left its opening round game in the NCAA tournament with a loss after falling to Mississippi, 57-46. Both fifth-seeded Wisconsin (23-12, 12-6 Big Ten) and 12th-seeded Ole Miss (27-8, 12-6 SEC) struggled to find any… Read more »

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Wisconsin players wiped tears from their eyes and stared blankly into the locker room walls, emotions consuming any room for words. This was the unceremonious aftermath of the fifth-seeded Badgers dropping their opening game of the NCAA tournament, 57-46, to 12th-seeded Mississippi Friday afternoon at… Read more »

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Barely a minute into the WCHA Final Five quarterfinal, junior winger Tyler Barnes stole the puck from the red line, carried it to the net and shot it past freshman goaltender — and all-conference netminder — Stephon Williams. At the 1:03 mark, Wisconsin possessed a 1-0… Read more »

Recently named a member of Cosmopolitan’s “Hottest Guys of March Madness 2013,” Wisconsin redshirt senior Mike Bruesewitz was not surprised. “Absolutely not,” Bruesewitz said with a straight face. “I deserve to be on that list. I worked extremely hard to be on that list. I clearly am very concerned about… Read more »

March Madness. It’s a time for filling out brackets, decreased productivity in offices across the United States and enough college basketball to rot your brain into a gooey pulp. This year, unfortunately, the unofficial national holiday of the NCAA tournament’s opening round of games (because, let’s be honest, play-in games… Read more »

It seemed a fitting end that the last game of conference play in the Big Ten was a 40 minute slugfest, featuring 10 different lead changes and a score that was tied seven times as Wisconsin and Ohio State exchanged blow after blow. Like it has at numerous points in… Read more »

Even before the opening tip of Wisconsin’s Big Ten tournament championship game with Ohio State at the United Center Sunday, it felt like the Badgers’ newfound mojo might start running dry. Bo Ryan’s group, the one pegged for its ugly style and lack of “talent,” had orchestrated a stunning offensive… Read more »

Strangely, the Badgers have no one to blame but themselves for the resurgence of the Buckeyes these last few weeks. It was Wisconsin’s 71-49 thrashing of Ohio State at the Kohl Center that several OSU players cited as the reason for their season turning around. It’s also the reason the… Read more »

In a game that might be better remembered for the numerous penalties and scuffles than the quality of play, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (20-12-7, 14-8-7 WCHA) clinched a spot in the WCHA Final Five with a 4-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth (14-20-5, 10-14-5) Saturday, completing the series sweep after winning… Read more »

Wisconsin players took to the court Saturday afternoon before their game with Indiana wearing warm-up shirts donning the slogan “rise to the occasion.” And that’s just what the Badgers did for the second time this season against the top-seeded Hoosiers, this time at the United Center Saturday afternoon. Relying on the toughness… Read more »

CHICAGO — Traevon Jackson’s message was clear. His team trying to recollect itself in the United Center locker room at halftime and recover from a disastrous 17-point first half effort, the sophomore guard had an idea for reigniting Wisconsin’s offense: stop heaving up contested three-pointers and feed the ball through… Read more »

Before he grew to the size of a tree, before he was a Division I college basketball player, the Wisconsin Badgers’ Frank Kaminsky dreamed of playing one day at the United Center. Growing up as a fan of the Chicago Bulls in Lisle, Ill. — he even has an aunt… Read more »

Key 1: No Turnovers It’s no secret what Indiana wants to do. Run. Run. Run. Wisconsin doesn’t have the athletes, the speed or the skill to outrun or outgun Indiana in an up-tempo game. Head coach Bo Ryan knows this; just look at the gameplan he used to slow things… Read more »

It’s nearly impossible to follow up a miracle, the kind of game singularly defined by “The Shot.” But if the Wisconsin men’s basketball team draws a rematch with Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament Friday, it will be trying to do just that. It was just more… Read more »

It feels like a completely different season. Looking back on the Badgers’ atrocious 1-7-2 start to the 2012-13 season, it’s hard to imagine how quickly things can change. Sure, October and November don’t seem so far away in retrospect, but now, by mid-March, that 10-game streak started about five months… Read more »

If you think the quarterback situation was crowded and full of mystery now, just wait until June when junior college quarterback Tanner McEvoy comes to campus. McEvoy, a transfer from Arizona Western College, was one of the most sought-after recruits in the country. According to ESPN, McEvoy was the No.… Read more »

It isn’t easy chasing after a dream, especially when that dream is to play in the National Football League. It’s even harder to give up that dream after putting so much hard work and commitment into one goal. This offseason, Wisconsin redshirt senior quarterback Jon Budmayr had to come to… Read more »

If the Wisconsin football coaching staff based its quarterback selection purely on physical tools and mechanics, Bart Houston likely would have already locked up the starting gig. Standing at 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 230 pounds, the redshirt freshman has the strongest arm in the rotation and the quickest… Read more »

He was having the game of his life. Entering the locker room at halftime, then-redshirt freshman quarterback Joel Stave was on top of the world after guiding Wisconsin to an early 7-3 lead against Michigan State. Completing pass after pass against the Spartans, Stave orchestrated a 90-yard drive deep into… Read more »

A new coach armed with new rules made for a remarkable day on Saturday as the Badgers officially kicked off the 2013 football campaign with their first practice of the spring season. It’s been nine weeks since the painful loss to Stanford in the Rose Bowl and the team’s first… Read more »

MINNEAPOLIS — In falling to North Dakota 2-1 in the semi-final round of the WCHA Final Face-Off Friday, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team lost more than a chance to compete for the conference tournament title. Entering the game, No. 2-seeded Wisconsin (23-10-2) and No. 3-seeded North Dakota (26-11-1) knew the… Read more »

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Maybe Traevon Jackson made his buzzer-beating 3-pointer because Penn State forgot he was left-handed. Or maybe it’s because of the free run Jackson had to his spot on the left wing. What the Wisconsin guard cared about most was that the bucket allowed the 22nd-ranked… Read more »

It was just an extra cushion at the time, but Michael Mersch’s third-period, empty net goal was exactly what the Badgers needed. Mersch tallied his 22nd goal of the season and his second in Wisconsin’s 3-2 Saturday night victory over St. Cloud State (21-14-1, 18-9-1 WCHA). The junior winger netted… Read more »

Perfection. It’s something few teams can boast. But, with Wisconsin Mr. Basketball winner Luke Fischer leading the way, Germantown can now say they’ve done it two consecutive years. And, well, they can say they’ve won 56 straight games, too. Being named the MVP of the tournament and finishing the game… Read more »

It was just an extra cushion at the time, but Michael Mersch’s third-period, empty net goal was exactly what the Badgers needed. Mersch tallied his 22nd goal of the season, and second of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team’s 3-2 Saturday night victory over St. Cloud State (21-14-1, 18-9-1 WCHA). The… Read more »

After two weeks of long distance traveling to Florida and California, the Wisconsin softball team is headed to Illinois for the SalSaluki Invitational this weekend. Only being one month into the season, the team has shown a lot of promise for what is to come in the remainder of the… Read more »

Heading into the regular series finale, a lot was on the line for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. There was a chance to share a piece of the MacNaughton Cup. Wisconsin (16-12-7, 12-8-7 WCHA) still needs to secure home ice advantage for the WCHA playoffs. On top of all that,… Read more »

EAST LANSING — After a 20-point second half effort doomed Wisconsin in a humbling defeat to Purdue Sunday, the Badgers’ offensive futility seemed to finally be catching up with them. Catch up they did at the Breslin Center Thursday night as UW’s distant Big Ten title hopes finally crumbled in… Read more »

After a demoralizing 69-56 Senior Day loss to Purdue Sunday, members of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team were ready to concede their chance at a Big Ten title. They may have spoken too soon. When No. 14 Ohio State knocked off No. 2 Indiana Tuesday night — spoiling the Hoosiers’… Read more »

They put up 10 goals with 10 different Wisconsin men’s hockey players notching a point. Rub your eyes. Read it over a few times. Maybe just sit and think about it. Anything to let that fact sink in. After infamously starting the season 1-7-2, 1-5-2 in the WCHA and averaging… Read more »

Fresh off a two-game sweep of St. Cloud State University in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and currently riding an eight-game winning streak, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team is playing their best hockey of the season. In the midst of Wisconsin’s tremendous performances has come the emergence of… Read more »

Wisconsin’s head football coach, Gary Andersen, announced the hiring of Jeff Genyk Tuesday. Genyk, after spending the last three seasons at California as an assistant, will coach tight ends and special teams for the Badgers, filling the position left by Jay Boulware, who left for Oklahoma last week. “We are… Read more »

The moment Sam Dekker walks into the Nicholas Johnson Practice Pavilion’s court, a member of the UW Athletics Communication department asks how long The Badger Herald’s photo shoot will take. It only took five seconds to understand the reason for his inquiry. It was two weeks ago on Sunday and… Read more »

With the clock crawling closer to zero, the three-point heaves became a sign of desperation as the Wisconsin men’s basketball team watched a nine-point lead evaporate in four minutes early in the second half. Not a single one of the No. 17 Badgers’ 12 shots from beyond the arc in… Read more »

The Wisconsin women’s hockey team will be packing their bags and heading to Minneapolis next weekend for the WCHA Final Face-Off after a dominating first-round series against St. Cloud State University. The No. 2-seeded Badgers (23-9-2) took care of business against the No. 7-seeded Huskies (9-24-3), sweeping SCSU out of… Read more »

Senior Day is always supposed to be bittersweet. But, for the first time ever under head coach Bo Ryan, Wisconsin sent its seniors off the Kohl Center floor for the final time in their careers with a feeling that was just bitter. Playing the role of spoiler, Purdue (14-15, 7-9)… Read more »

On the last night of February, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team was having a special night. Tiera Stephen was being honored as the lone graduating senior and the Kohl Center was hosting its final women’s basketball game of the season against No. 20 Nebraska. It was a night like the… Read more »

Tiera Stephen is the lone senior on the Wisconsin women’s basketball team and Thursday night was most likely her final game taking to the Kohl Center floor. Even with a greater sense of urgency from Stephen with her career winding down, the Badgers were unable to tie the game late… Read more »

The long 32-game regular season is over and while the Wisconsin women’s hockey team cannot boast a sparkling record like that of the 2011-2012 team, this season’s team is in position to make a similar postseason run. Wisconsin (21-9-2, 17-9-2 WCHA) started its 2012-2013 campaign off with a whimper, winning… Read more »

Recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Wisconsin freshman pitcher and utility player Taylor-Paige Stewart has been solid in her rookie year for the Badgers. Posting a 1-0 record with a spotless ERA and a save this past weekend in the Diamond 9 Tournament, Stewart has given her team a… Read more »

An infectious leader. A fierce, intimidating competitor. A humbling character. And unimaginable success. That is what the Wisconsin women’s hockey team has gotten from four years of Brianna Decker. One hundred and forty games after first putting her silver blade on the ice for UW, the standout senior center is faced with the… Read more »

Words are merely symbols that try to represent what people see, hear and do. And although oftentimes these representations are accurate, there are times when even words fall short and cannot describe someone to their full extent. One such person is Wisconsin women’s basketball assistant coach Alysiah Bond, who through… Read more »

With first-place Indiana falling on the road to Minnesota earlier in the night, the stage was set for Wisconsin to get back in the Big Ten title hunt. And boy, did they ever. Benefitting from a career night for freshman Sam Dekker and woeful shooting by its opponent, Wisconsin bested… Read more »

As the Wisconsin men’s hockey team entered its eleventh overtime game of the season with Penn State, the unnerving feeling of a must-win situation was overwhelming. With just one minute to play in extra time, a tie seemed imminent. But as Penn State junior forward Taylor Holstrom continued to hack… Read more »

ORLANDO, Fla. — If this weekend was supposed to be a replicate of Big Ten play this season, the Badgers set the right example to duplicate. Sweeping the three-day Diamond 9 tournament with three wins over both George Southern (7-7) and Boston University (1-4), Wisconsin (10-1) is suddenly off to… Read more »

Following a sluggish first period, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team took over Sunday night at the Kohl Center and put up 51 shots-on-goal en route to a 5-0 shutout victory against Penn State. The Senior Day battle found a fitting first goal from senior defenseman John Ramage, who launched a… Read more »

GENEVA, Ohio — It wasn’t decided until the final event, but Wisconsin head coach Ed Nuttycombe was able to breathe a sigh of victorious relief Saturday afternoon at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. In a meet that saw the top five teams separated by a mere five points, the… Read more »

On a rare day off, Mike Weiss relaxes, spends times with his friends and fist bumps exceptionally well. But, on a typical day, Weiss breaks records, wins national titles and trains for international swimming competitions. Two weeks ago, the senior captain did something that earned him the nickname “Magic Mike.”… Read more »

Danica Patrick is NASCAR’s little dolly, pretty much regardless of what she thinks. Of the first 10 pictures that lead the Google search “Danica Patrick,” only two show Patrick sporting her popular NASCAR jumpsuit. The others include her in a much more revealing sense, erotically clad as an article accentuating… Read more »

Meet Kelly Sheffield, the newest head coach of the Wisconsin volleyball team.Named to the position this past December after former head coach Pete Waite resigned, Kelly comes to Wisconsin leaving behind a trail of success in his immediate wake. Coming from the University of Dayton, where he coached for five… Read more »

With an elevated style of play from top to bottom in the Big Ten this season, coaches and players alike from the conference’s top tier of teams are hesitant to call any contest a “trap” game. With Wisconsin (18-8, 9-4 Big Ten) traveling to Evanston, Ill., for a date with… Read more »

When it comes to criticism, the National Basketball Association is never far from reach.This really isn’t a huge revelation — NBA players have 82 games during the year to boost their stats as much as they can to increase their salary, their fame and their SportsCenter highlight reels. It should… Read more »

Her nickname is “Giggles.” One of her hobbies listed on the Wisconsin Athletics website is laughing. That’s not exactly the personality you’d expect from a player who crushed Big Ten pitching for a .400 average just a season ago. But the Wisconsin softball coaching staff hopes to change the at-bat… Read more »

CHICAGO — Spectators at the Hockey City Classic could not have asked for better conditions when the Wisconsin men’s hockey team took the ice at Soldier Field Sunday in an outdoor matchup with border-battle rival and second-ranked Minnesota. With the sun shining, and the temperature sitting at a mild 32… Read more »

It was a fitting end to Senior Day Sunday afternoon at LaBahn Arena.Wisconsin senior star Brianna Decker came up big with an overtime goal, earning UW a series sweep over University of Minnesota-Duluth and sending the women’s hockey senior class off victorious in their final home game in the regular… Read more »

CHICAGO — It took 30 shots on goal and 33:03 off the clock, but it was well worth the wait for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. At the 13:03 mark of the second period the Badgers found their way onto the scoreboard for a 1-0 lead — 3:19 later and… Read more »

Ohio State felt the bite from Wisconsin’s “Killer B’s” Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center. That is, the trio of Jared Berggren, Ben Brust and Mike Bruesewitz. The Badgers’ post presence of Berggren, the three-point sharpshooting of Brust and the hustle of Bruesewitz proved too much for the Buckeyes to… Read more »

Ryan Evans nearly brought the Kohl Center roof tumbling down with a thunderous, one-handed put-back slam. Ben Brust ignited an 18-0 run early with three quick three-pointers and finished with his fifth double-double of the season. Lost in the celebration of Wisconsin’s 71-49 rout of No. 13 Ohio State (18-7,… Read more »

MINNEAPOLIS — It was overtime again. For a program-record third straight game, Wisconsin needed extra time against Minnesota Thursday night and the lone difference was that this time, the Badgers could not complete the closing act. Because this time, even overtime could not drag the No. 20 Badgers out of… Read more »

Over the years, the Wisconsin and Minnesota hockey rivalry has become synonymous with tough, physical play. Unfortunately for the Badgers, their tough play – and the resulting penalties – proved the crucial difference maker in a comfortable 3-2 win for their rivals from the west. All three of Minnesota’s goals… Read more »

When the newly-ranked No. 20 Wisconsin men’s basketball team (17-7 overall, 8-3 Big Ten) heads to Williams Arena in Minneapolis Thursday for a matchup with Minnesota (17-7 overall, 5-6 Big Ten), it will be facing a team that has not successfully defeated the Badgers in close to three seasons. The… Read more »

For most Badgers, love is in the air today, but for members of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team vengeance, rivalry and aggression are the only things on their mind.No. 18 Wisconsin (12-9-7, 9-6-7 WCHA) will take on archrival No. 2 Minnesota (19-5-4, 11-5-4 WCHA) in a highly anticipated series with… Read more »

Offensive Player of the Year: Montee Ball Montee Ball jogged onto the Camp Randall field Sept. 1 as a Heisman favorite. He left as one of the most accomplished running backs in the history of Wisconsin, a program that counts Ron Dayne and Alan Ameche among its alumni. His career… Read more »

Seven years ago, 40,890 fans filled Lambeau Field to watch the Wisconsin men’s hockey team down Ohio State 4-2 in the Frozen Tundra Classic during the second-ever collegiate outdoor hockey game. Three years ago on Feb. 6, 2010, the Badgers used two third-period power play goals from Brendan Smith to… Read more »

The 2012 NFL season is now over and every team but the Baltimore Ravens is disappointed with the way its season ended, especially the Green Bay Packers, who have strong aspirations of winning the Super Bowl these days with Aaron Rodgers under center. With the offseason upon us, the Packers… Read more »

Everybody loves a fairytale ending. Don’t lie to me guys - you watched Disney growing up. You sat in your one-piece pajamas and watched “The Lion King.” You died a little inside when it didn’t work out between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries (THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER)… Read more »

As the seemingly endless winter weather continues to pummel Madison, the Wisconsin men’s tennis team is preparing for a big spring by heating it up during their season-opening 12-match homestand at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. Having already jumped to a quick 5-1 start to open their season, the Badgers look… Read more »

In striving to find their way to the top of the WCHA standings, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team battled for a crucial victory against Bemidji State Saturday, winning 3-2 after a disappointing tie Friday night. The Badgers (12-9-7, 9-6-7 WCHA) now sit tied for fifth place in the WCHA with… Read more »

Déjà Vu of Alando Tucker 2005 You might be a little too young to remember, but the play you saw Ben Brust convert a last-second miracle on was actually used successfully once before. The date: Mar. 12, 2005. The place: The United Center and the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.The… Read more »

After seeing a 3-0 lead be cut down to just a one-goal favor, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team battled a late-game surge by Bemidji State Saturday, but managed to escape with a victory. “I think the mood after the game was we got the two points, we landed a wounded… Read more »

When Michigan’s Tim Hardaway Jr. sunk a three-pointer with Mike Bruesewitz in his face and less than three seconds on the clock, it appeared to be the shot of the game. But the Ben Brust Show had yet to complete its opening act. With 2.4 seconds on the clock, Bruesewitz… Read more »

As most baseball fans have undoubtedly heard by now, Milwaukee Brewers superstar and former-MVP Ryan Braun is being linked to performance-enhancing drugs for the second time in his six-year career. Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday night that Braun’s name appeared on the records of a clinic – Biogenesis of America LLC… Read more »

For a team plagued by poor free throw shooting, Wisconsin didn’t act the part in the two overtimes against Iowa Wednesday night. Converting on 13-of-14 from the line after regulation and receiving a deadlock-breaking three pointer from freshman forward Sam Dekker, the Badgers (16-7, 7-3) beat the Hawkeyes (14-9, 3-7)… Read more »

After about six weeks on the job, Wisconsin football coach Gary Andersen’s personal footprint on the program grows stronger every day. Never was that more clear than when he offered his own take on Wisconsin’s 19 signees on National Signing Day at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. With a pair… Read more »

Wisconsin football head coach Gary Andersen is set to sign his first class with his new program, one that has remained remarkably stable following the departure of Bret Bielema. Check back throughout the day for more information on the Class of 2013 as Andersen talks about the players who form… Read more »

One of the finer points in being a student-journalist comes with understanding where to draw the line. First off, when you read this know the biographical facts that shape my identity as a person. I am a fifth-year student at the University of Wisconsin and I grew up a life-long… Read more »

Offense: C+ Shooting three-point shots is something the Badgers’ offense has revolved around this season. The problem is, with a reliance on the outside shot comes a larger risk for going cold from the field, compared to attacking the rim. And nowhere has that been more evident than the usual… Read more »

This time, when I heard the news a new quarterback had transferred to Wisconsin, I didn’t even blink. In what has become the third annual announcing of a transfer quarterback at UW, it came as little surprise when new football head coach Gary Andersen added yet another quarterback — junior… Read more »

Another offseason comes and yet again, so does another transfer quarterback for Wisconsin football. This time, it’s a junior college transfer. Tanner McEvoy, regarded as the top dual-threat quarterback in junior college football, is transferring to Wisconsin, as reported by Evan Flood of 247sports Monday afternoon. McEvoy visited Wisconsin on… Read more »

He took the ball down the floor, abruptly planted his feet from the right wing and tossed up a Hail Mary three-point attempt. The ball fell through the bottom of the net and a Wisconsin sports hero had stamped his legacy with his first signature moment on a national scale.… Read more »

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Since Frank Kaminsky was poked in the eye in a game on Jan. 15, he had played a total of four minutes for Wisconsin. The iris in his left eye was cut, and for several days after the injury he couldn’t see out of that eye.… Read more »

Lately, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team has gone only as far as junior guard Morgan Paige could take them, like when Paige dropped 33 points in the Badgers’ stunning 63-61 upset of then-No. 7 Penn State Thursday night. The case was no different Sunday afternoon, only the distance Paige carried Wisconsin (10-12,… Read more »

Suddenly, Jan. 12 appears a distant memory for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team. That day the Badgers (14-7, 5-3 Big Ten) stormed onto the Kohl Center floor and routed an Illinois (15-7, 2-6) team then ranked No. 12 in a 74-51 win. It marked UW’s sixth consecutive victory, its confidence… Read more »

The sports world is filled with siblings: Peyton and Eli Manning, Venus and Serena Williams, Jose and Yadier Molina. Wisconsin’s addition to this list? Ivy and Ruby Martin. Ruby, a senior, and Ivy, a sophomore, have both had phenomenal success swimming here at Wisconsin. Despite growing up in Madison and… Read more »

They say Shanel Blackshear is loud and somewhat goofy. They say Stephanie Peace can inspire her teammates with a simple flick of her glove. They say Whitney Massey doesn’t say too much, or talk too loudly, but she doesn’t need to; her bat speaks much louder. They say Michelle Mueller… Read more »

The time is now for Wisconsin softball. With the weather Tuesday afternoon feeling more like spring than the middle of January, it seems fitting the beginning of the season for the Badgers is just around the corner. Already practicing in preparation for their opening tournament, the University of North Carolina… Read more »

Last week one of our writers, Sean Zak, wrote a column about holding back optimism for the Wisconsin football team in 2013. My simple question in response is, why? I understand last year’s new assistant hires and all of the transition that followed led to bumps and bruises, but there… Read more »

George Marshall sits alone on the line in a gym. Marshall bends his knees and flicks his wrist, releasing the ball effortlessly in a smooth motion. Swish. He does the same thing, over and over again like a machine with the same, automated product at the end of the sequence,… Read more »

After dropping consecutive dual matches against two of the Big Ten’s best just a week ago, the No. 20 Wisconsin wrestling team righted the ship in a solid 26-9 defeat of Indiana Friday night at home. The Badgers (7-4, 4-2 Big Ten) took seven of the 10 individual contests, including… Read more »

Sometimes wins aren’t always pretty — a fact the Wisconsin men’s hockey team experienced Saturday. In a 2-1 decision that led to a series sweep over Alaska-Anchorage (13-16-5, 1-15-4 WCHA), Wisconsin (11-8-5, 8-5-5 WCHA) sneaked by with the win Saturday thanks to two second period goals after a sluggish opening… Read more »

Before the Wisconsin men’s basketball team even stepped on the floor and eluded a third consecutive conference loss by the thinnest of margins against Minnesota, questions resounded about how the Badgers would handle the Gophers’ dominance on the glass. Heading into Wisconsin’s (14-6, 5-2 Big Ten) 45-44 victory over No.… Read more »

It was a wild one at the Kohl Center Saturday afternoon. Wisconsin’s Traevon Jackson received a friendly bounce on a pull-up jumper that beat the shot clock with just four seconds left in the game and Minnesota’s Rodney Williams missed a critical free throw to tie the game in the… Read more »

In another low-scoring half of Big Ten basketball, the Wisconsin Badgers and the No. 12 Minnesota Gophers haven’t offered many highlights in Saturday’s game so far, with the score knotted at 24-24 after the first 20 minutes. Wisconsin used a 13-2 run in the closing minutes of the first half… Read more »

In the first of two games this weekend, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team failed to score in a 2-0 loss to rival Minnesota. No. 1 Minnesota (25-0-0, 19-0-0 WCHA) dominated No. 8 Wisconsin (15-8-2, 11-8-2 WCHA) in all facets of the game on Friday. The Golden Gophers controlled the game… Read more »

Willing oneself to victory in the midst of a mere seven-minute contest will do a wrestler no good when faced with a potentially more talented and likely better prepared opponent. Especially while competing against a multitude of teams in the country’s most elite wrestling conference, Wisconsin wrestling head coach Barry… Read more »

After winning four out of their last five conference games, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team will look to stay hot as No.1 Minnesota travels to LaBahn Arena this weekend for a two-game series. Top-ranked Minnesota (24-0-0, 18-0-0 WCHA) will put their 24-game winning streak on the line in Madison against… Read more »

Uncertainty is a frank description, but it ran through the veins of the Wisconsin football program throughout the 2012 season. That Bielema guy fired an assistant from the SEC. Then that Bielema guy grabbed what he could (in assistants) and left for the SEC. In leaving, he left the door… Read more »

Describing Frank Kaminsky’s role for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team is not a simple task with a singular answer. He is not the energizing sixth man, nor a critical scorer or a lockdown defender. Kaminsky is seeing an average of just 10.5 minutes and 4.6 points per game this season,… Read more »

Prior to his senior year, senior forward Derek Lee felt like an alternate. There was always someone ahead of him, always someone else quarterbacking the play, always someone else holding court in the face-off. He wasn’t the star or the go-to guy everyone recognized, but now, in his senior year,… Read more »

“Grind ‘em out dog fights.” Those are the self-described kind of games Wisconsin redshirt senior Mike Bruesewitz loves to play in. With a collection of players similar to their starting forward, it’s no wonder the Badgers made some noise over the break in the world of college basketball. “There are… Read more »

As classes start up again at the University of Wisconsin and students begin to swap winter break stories after nearly a month off school, it would be safe to say sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe’s story might just take the gold. Literally. Chosen in early December as captain for Team USA in… Read more »

If Tiera Stephen wasn’t on top of the world in April 2009, she seemed to be pretty close. Stephen was a point guard for the Louisville women’s basketball team and the Cardinals were playing in the school’s first ever Final Four. The circumstances were pressure-filled, daunting by any standard. She… Read more »

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Wisconsin found itself ahead by 10 points with just over 10 minutes remaining against the No. 2 team in the nation. They were also on the road in a hostile environment. Reality was bound to set in, and it did. With 10:08 remaining, the Badgers began one… Read more »

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — In a game that featured nine lead changes and the score tied six times, Tuesday night’s game at Assembly Hall looked more like a heavyweight title fight than a Big Ten basketball game. But when push came to shove and the smoke finally settled, Wisconsin (13-4, 4-0)… Read more »

Wisconsin and Indiana are neck and neck after one half of play, with the Hoosiers leading 32-31 heading into the second half. Indiana started things off with a bang after a three-pointer made by a wide open Victor Oladipo. But Wisconsin responded with it’s own sharp-shooting of Frank Kaminsky, as the… Read more »

If there were any doubts that Wisconsin is a legitimate offensive threat, they were buried within the first 20 minutes of its game with Illinois Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center. The Badgers opened up the game on a 14-0 run thanks to seven quick points from redshirt senior center… Read more »

PASADENA, Calif. —There weren’t any surprises New Year’s Day at the Granddaddy of Them All. Two teams, two old-school styles of football and two relentless defenses graced the field in a low-scoring, smashmouth affair that many already saw coming. But, on one particular afternoon, No. 6 Stanford’s defense (12-2, 8-1… Read more »

PASADENA, Calif. — Before either Stanford or Wisconsin even arrived in Pasadena, much less Los Angeles for the 2013 Rose Bowl, it was already predicted to be a defensive battle. Both the Cardinal and the Badgers’ run-heavy offenses were balanced by tough defenses known for shutting down even some of… Read more »

Pasadena, Calif. — All it took for the Wisconsin football team’s third straight Rose Bowl to slip away was one misguided pass from the hands of quarterback Curt Phillips, a pass that sealed a 20-14 victory for No. 6 Stanford Tuesday evening. The fateful throw came as the Badgers (8-6,… Read more »

PASADENA, Calif. — Welcome to the Badger Herald Live Blog! I’m football beat writer Kelly Erickson coming to you live from the Rose Bowl in sunny Pasadena as Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4 Big Ten) takes on No. 6 Stanford (11-2, 8-1 Pac-12). Alongside me are my fellow beat writers, Sports Editor… Read more »

LOS ANGELES — When asked about his most pressing concern two days ahead of the Rose Bowl, Stanford head coach David Shaw needed no time to gather his thoughts and formulate a response. The biggest concern was Montee Ball, the star senior running back who will do battle with the… Read more »

LOS ANGELES — Barry Alvarez hasn’t coached a football team in seven seasons. His last Rose Bowl appearance and victory came 13 years ago. This time around, he’s the new guy on the sidelines. But with more than a decade between his last Rose Bowl as a coach and seven… Read more »

LOS ANGELES — One of the most intriguing and important battles of the 2013 Rose Bowl will come in a part of the field that the casual fan often overlooks: the battle in the trenches. Lining up across from a typically oversized Wisconsin offensive line on which the five linemen… Read more »

Friday morning Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez finally introduced his new head football coach: Gary Andersen. In his introductory press conference alongside Alvarez, UW’s 29th head coach expressed not only his excitement to be with the program and a commitment to developing his players on and off the field, but… Read more »

Utah State’s Gary Andersen will be the next head coach of the Wisconsin football program, according to an initial report from the Wisconsin State Journal Tuesday night that was later confirmed by several other reports and Utah State players via Twitter.  News broke earlier Tuesday that Andersen — who had… Read more »

Just hours after news broke that Matt Canada was heading to NC State, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema announced Wisconsin co-defensive coordinator Charlie Partridge will join the Razorbacks as defensive line coach. One of the Badgers’ most talented recruiters, Partridge’s departure could shake up a Class of 2013 commits, most… Read more »

The dominos continue to fall in wake of the departure of Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema, as the North Carolina State Athletic Department announced in a statement Saturday morning that Wisconsin offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Canada has accepted the same position at NC State. “Matt Canada has one… Read more »

One week after leaving Madison, former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is taking his first assistant to Fayetteville, as Arkansas announced Tuesday UW co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash will take the same job with the Razorbacks. Ash is honoring his word and will stay with the Badgers through the Rose Bowl… Read more »

After a Big Ten title followed with the stunning departure of former head coach Bret Bielema only three days later, there is no denying that the Wisconsin football team has had an emotional week. But emotions aside, the Badgers still have to get back to work as they prep for… Read more »

Just over a year removed from losing to Marquette on its home floor, Wisconsin heads to the Bradley Center in the annual in-state rivalry game. The rivalry for these two teams has developed on and off the court in recent years. On the court, the Golden Eagles (5-2) broke the… Read more »

It may not have been the Heisman Trophy many expected before his senior campaign, but the Doak Walker Award served as a decent consolation prize for Wisconsin running back Montee Ball Thursday night. Sporting a Badger red bow tie and matching vest as he accepted the award at the Walt… Read more »

Former Wisconsin coaching legend Barry Alvarez had no plans of returning to the sideline for his fourth career Rose Bowl after Bret Bielema left for Arkansas. But a few calls later from seniors Mike Taylor and Curt Phillips, Alvarez was back in the reigns for one more game. As his… Read more »

Last night, as I stared up at the ceiling from my bed around 3 a.m. with bloodshot eyes, there were a few thoughts that were rushing through my head. One was, “how did I drink that much coffee and not die?” The other, well, you have to go back more… Read more »

Barry is back. Yes, the Wisconsin Football legend himself who led the Badgers to three Rose Bowl victories in 1994, 1999 and 2000 will return for a fourth shot at the “Granddaddy of Them All” Jan. 1, 2013. According to Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal, the football captains… Read more »

Less than four days removed from winning a third-straight Big Ten title with Wisconsin, Bret Bielema sported a tie with a slightly darker shade of red as the University of Arkansas officially introduced him as its new head coach Wednesday afternoon. Standing in front of a podium emblazoned with the… Read more »

When it rained, it poured for the Wisconsin men’s basketball team Tuesday night. And unfortunately for Nebraska-Omaha, streaky shooting was more than enough for the Badgers to subdue their opponent early in their 86-40 win at the Kohl Center. After Wisconsin (6-3) emerged from an early three-point deficit, a 20-2… Read more »

Bret, it didn’t have to be like this. For somebody who always harped about how much he loved his team and Wisconsin, how could you sneak around looking for another job while the season hadn’t even finished yet? That’s just classless. Other coaches have done the same, but for a… Read more »

University of Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema is leaving the program to take the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas, UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez confirmed Tuesday evening.Arkansas’ Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long also confirmed Tuesday night Bielema had accepted the offer to become… Read more »

Around midnight Dec. 2, the Wisconsin band blared out three notes that caused any Badgers present to instantly link arms and sway in unison. From fans still celebrating the 70-31 Big Ten Championship victory to the players still lingering on the field, carrying roses in their teeth in celebration of… Read more »

After winning just one of its first 10 games this season, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team doubled that total over the weekend with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Denver, the team that still sits atop the WCHA standings. The Badgers also notched a 1-1 tie against the Pioneers (9-4-1,… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS — You can let out that sigh of relief now, Badger fans. The Wisconsin football team is indeed the Big Ten champion for the third year in a row. At the hands of the most creative game plan offensive coordinator Matt Canada has made all season, Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS­ — The Badgers didn’t look like a team that was supposedly reeling coming into Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game. Instead, Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4 Big Ten) looked like an offensive juggernaut, manhandling Nebraska (10-3, 7-1) 70-31 at Lucas Oil Stadium as three running backs amassed 100 yards or more for… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS — Surely it was just one lucky run from the fuel-injected legs of redshirt freshman tailback Melvin Gordon.Then, a bobbled pass off the hands of the Cornhuskers’ Kenny Bell found the outstretched arms of the Badgers’ Marcus Cromartie. As the redshirt senior raced 29 yards to the end zone… Read more »

It’s a pretty simple diagnosis when it comes to prediciting the outcome of the 2012 Big Ten Championship game. It’s going to be close. If there’s anything Wisconsin and Nebraska have both shown consistently this season is the ability to make games painstakingly close. Both fan bases can attest to… Read more »

INDIANAPOLIS — A year after enacting revenge on Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten championship game, the Wisconsin football team returns to Indianapolis Saturday in a slightly different situation. Despite finishing third in the Leaders Division, the Badgers (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) have a chance at a redemptive win… Read more »

Whether it’s eating a daily dose of Wheaties for breakfast, drinking the recommended daily amount of milk or just being gifted with unusually athletic genes, some kids just grow up big. Wisconsin heavyweight wrestler Connor Medbery was well aware of his unusually large size, due to either genetics or a… Read more »

Nearly three months ago, The Badger Herald titled its season preview for the Wisconsin football season “On the Brink,” the bold, oversized lettering itself representative of the expectations surrounding this team. My own hands were among those that helped build the towering expectations for this team, fully convinced there would… Read more »

Wisconsin and Nebraska have a short history — but it’s already a turbulent one. In 2011, the Badgers (7-5, 4-4 Big Ten) welcomed the Huskers (10-2, 7-1) to the conference in a rather insulting manner with a 48-17 victory. One year later, Nebraska evened the score with a 30-27 decision… Read more »

In a game that lived up to its billing as a gritty defensive battle, it was precisely Virginia’s defense that carried them to a 60-54 victory over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center Wednesday night. And never was the Cavaliers’ defensive strength more critical than in the final minute of the… Read more »

What a difference a year can make. Last season, Curt Phillips wasn’t even at the Big Ten Championship game. Now, he’s the starting quarterback on the biggest stage a conference game can offer. At home in Tennessee still rehabbing from his third surgery on the ACL in his right knee,… Read more »

With one costly, season-ending planting of his left foot on the Kohl Center floor, Josh Gasser reshaped the careers of redshirt freshman George Marshall and sophomore Traevon Jackson. When Gasser, the proven floor general, the all-Big Ten defender, tore his ACL in practice Oct. 27, it put the redshirt freshmen… Read more »

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — With two overtime losses in its last three games, Wisconsin’s lone overtime series Saturday evening at Beaver Stadium followed an all-too-familiar path. It all came tumbling down when defensive end Sean Stanley climbed through the Badgers’ offensive line to sack quarterback Curt Phillips on the second… Read more »

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For the second straight week, the Wisconsin offense stalled in the second half. And for the second straight week, senior quarterback Curt Phillips brought the Badgers back from the brink of defeat in the final seconds to force overtime Saturday. Getting the ball back with three… Read more »

It felt pretty incredible to be present for Penn State’s final home game of the season Saturday. And that feeling had nothing to do with the Wisconsin football team I’ve been covering for The Badger Herald. For this Nittany Lion program, the past 12 months have been a whirlwind of… Read more »

Wisconsin softball head coach Yvette Healy announced the signing of three recruits to national letters of intent Tuesday. Chloe Miller (Bettendorf, Iowa), Sara Novak (Shorewood, Ill.) and Nyah Rodman (Lakewood, Calif.) will become the newest Badgers in the fall of 2013. “Above all, this class is filled with great students… Read more »

Fact: When you have to punt the ball three times in your opponents’ territory, something on your offense isn’t working. The Wisconsin football team didn’t lose to Ohio State due to a lack of offense — with 206 rushing yards and 154 passing yards for a total of 360 yards,… Read more »

The Kohl Center was sparsely populated Tuesday night when Wisconsin welcomed Presbyterian to town. But those who made it out had a chance to watch one of the best offensive performances in recent memory for Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan’s program. Ben Brust recorded his third double-double in his last… Read more »

Following an emotional 21-14 overtime loss to Ohio State Saturday at Camp Randall, the Wisconsin football team will be looking to recover quickly from heartbreak as they travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State in its Big Ten regular season finale. Head coach Bret Bielema addressed the demoralizing… Read more »

Let’s play a game of word association. Ready? OK, here’s the word. Big Ten. So what’s the first word that comes to your mind? Maybe it’s one of the sports like football and basketball that the conference is renowned for. Then again, maybe it’s one of the schools that make… Read more »

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team may be only three games into the regular season, but its upcoming schedule has made it feel like tournament time for the Badgers. A 73-40 win over Cornell Sunday night kicked off a brutal stretch of four games in seven days for the Badgers, an… Read more »

Anything felt possible. Curt Phillips just orchestrated one of the best two-minute drills in recent Wisconsin history to force overtime Senior Day. Montee Ball had a renewed chance at breaking the NCAA career touchdown mark after earning the record-tying score in the second quarter. And the defense — which housed… Read more »

The fairytale setting seemed perfect as Wisconsin and Ohio State entered the start of overtime. The Badgers had just been led on Senior Day to a game-tying drive by fifth-year senior quarterback Curt Phillips in the waning minute of regulation, with star tailback and fellow senior Montee Ball just one… Read more »

When Montee Ball took the ball at the 7-yard line, he cut left, leapt into the air and landed on his left foot before flopping into the Camp Randall end zone. The perfect Senior Day tale, the one where he would tie and then break the all-time NCAA touchdown record,… Read more »

Nearly three years later, one game still comes to mind when Wisconsin fans think of the Cornell Big Red: a blowout in the second round of the 2010 NCAA tournament. The first and only previous meeting between the Badgers (1-1) and Big Red (1-1) came in a 87-69 Cornell victory,… Read more »

Five high school seniors officially signed to play for Wisconsin basketball head coach Bo Ryan Thursday, locking up one of the more highly-touted recruiting classes of his tenure. Although Wisconsin is not known for locking up nationally-ranked recruiting classes, the program appears to receive a major boost when these five… Read more »

Not a lot seems to be going right for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team this season. First, it lost a highly-touted freshman to ineligibility issues for 10 games. Then, top centerman Mark Zengerle broke his finger blocking a shot. And last week, during its second bye week of the season,… Read more »

For the second time in as many visits to Camp Randall, No. 6 Ohio State arrives in Madison with an undefeated record. And while the Buckeyes already have at least a share of the Leaders Division title wrapped up, it will be the Wisconsin Badgers (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten) who… Read more »

As a timid freshman more than three years ago, I walked into the McClain Facility to interview a freshman running back I knew nearly nothing about. He was a somewhat lauded four-star recruit who had just earned the first carries of his young college career, a player still buried beneath… Read more »

Exactly one year ago, the Wisconsin football team was in the middle of what would become a four-game winning streak. The Badgers were prepping for a road trip to Illinois — a must-win in the new divisional system. But in their 28-17 second-half comeback, one name in particular was missing… Read more »

Wisconsin women’s basketball head coach Bobbie Kelsey announced the signing of two high school seniors Wednesday on National Signing Day. Two post players, 6-foot-4 Malayna Johnson from Montini Catholic High School in Belwood, Ill., and 6-foot-3 Mikey Crall, from Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kan. will join the Badgers as… Read more »

For Wisconsin basketball forward Ryan Evans, it has always been about the pride. The very pride rattled when coaches cut him from the basketball team as a sophomore in high school, the same quality that brings immense pain, he says, when an opposing player nets even a single basket on… Read more »

They travel together, eat together and work together.And sometimes, they even bathe together. In every season, just about every team, no matter how big or how small, considers itself a family. The Paige’s are a lot like that, except that their family is, well, a basketball team. There is Ellis and… Read more »

Montee Ball said it best himself: he just has a nose for the end zone. Saturday, as Ball celebrates his final game at Camp Randall and Wisconsin welcomes Ohio State to Madison, the senior running back will attempt to make history. Ball is only a touchdown shy of tying former… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin’s men’s cross country coach Mick Byrne recently won … his 22nd consecutive Coach of the Year Award.Upon initial review, one might be tempted to believe this number is a typo, but it’s not. Before coming to Wisconsin, Byrne spent 24 seasons at Iona College, leading the Gaels… Read more »

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Wisconsin football team was leading 31-7 in the middle of the third quarter. The Badgers were in the middle of their second drive of the half with a first-and-10 from the Hoosiers’ 49. Senior running back Montee Ball already had 150 rushing yards on the day… Read more »

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — On a day when Wisconsin running backs Montee Ball and James White each crossed the century mark to help the Badgers gain a school-record 564 rushing yards, coaches didn’t need much help from quarterback Curt Phillips. But, as defined by a 52-yard run in the third quarter,… Read more »

I’m a big intangibles guy. Talent matters, but when it comes down to it, what separates the good and the great in sports — and in life for that matter — is that little extra something you can’t touch or see physically on the field or court of play. If… Read more »

New beginnings and growing pains marked a sub-par season in 2011-12 for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team, a season in which it finished 9-20 overall and 5-11 in Big Ten play. It was Bobbie Kelsey’s first season as head coach of the Badgers, as she took over the helm following… Read more »

It’s just Indiana. Or so you think. Sure, the Wisconsin Football team (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) has bested the Hoosiers time and again on the gridiron in recent history — especially with a 59-7 win in Madison last year and an 83-20 decision in 2010. But this year, things are… Read more »

Two plays. That’s all it took in practice for the Wisconsin men’s basketball season to be altered. While they occurred on separate occasions and in separate practices, the Badgers will begin their nonconference schedule without two of their returning starters due to a pair of injuries to senior forward Mike… Read more »

The state of fandom may just be one of the hardest burdens to bear in the sports world. A fan — whether because they were born into their fandom, or developed it over time — is often a lifetime supporter through sickness and in health. A fan knows the ins… Read more »

Following every Wisconsin football practice and after each game, a swarm of reporters gather around a 6-foot-4, 338-pound mass of man, his face cloaked by a mammoth beard. Behind the cameras and notepads stands Travis Frederick, the player who, more than any other, acts as the Badgers’ spokesperson, the go-to… Read more »

After six games into his third season with the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, assistant coach Bill Butters has stepped down to pursue his life passion: faith ministry. Both Butters and head coach Mike Eaves made it clear that Butters blindsided Eaves with his decision on Monday. The head coach urged… Read more »

Joel Stave’s season was ended Oct. 29 after he broke his left collarbone. That same day, Josh Gasser tore his ACL in practice, effectively ending his 2012-13 campaign before it even began. The worst of it seemed over. But the injury bug had one more stop to make. One week later, Nov.… Read more »

In the strangest of seasons, one where the Badgers still have a clear shot at the Rose Bowl with three losses to their name, an unfamiliar unit has acted as the reparative glue for this team: the defense. It is a complete reversal of scripts from the 2011 season, when… Read more »

For the Wisconsin men’s soccer team, it’s now or never. After being picked to finish sixth out of seven Big Ten teams in the preseason coaches poll, UW looked to prove its critics wrong early this season in hopes of earning its first bid to the NCAA tournament since 1995.… Read more »

Nine days removed from the William Gholston hit that knocked him out for the season, former Wisconsin starting quarterback Joel Stave entered the McClain Center Media Room Sunday with his left arm resting in a black sling. After breaking his collarbone less than 10 seconds into the second half of… Read more »

For the third time in four years, the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team has made the field of 64 in the NCAA tournament, earning an at-large bid Monday. Wisconsin (12-7-1, 5-5-1 Big Ten) will travel to Los Angeles this weekend where they will take on No. 2 UCLA (15-2-2,… Read more »

No matter who is on the roster or what the stats sheet says, some teams simply know how to beat another team, time and again. The Wisconsin men’s hockey team (1-4-1, 1-2-1 WCHA) opened its home slate last weekend against precisely that kind of team — Colorado College (5-3-0, 2-0-0)… Read more »

There may still be a long way to go in the 2012-13 season, but after rounding out its first six games with a 1-4-1 record, the next few months might end up feeling even longer for the Wisconsin men’s hockey team. Following a disheartening overtime loss to Colorado College (5-3,… Read more »

To say this season has been surprising would be an understatement. Every emotion the brain can produce — joy, anger, rage, hope, disappointment — it’s all been encapsulated within the already wobbly and extending frame of Wisconsin’s 2012 campaign. And boy, could it get even crazier Saturday. The Badgers haven’t… Read more »

Fifty years ago, the Badgers played their first season in the modern era of Wisconsin men’s hockey. But in the very season they’re celebrating that landmark, they have yet to skate in front of their home crowd — until now. This weekend, Wisconsin (1-2-1, 1-0-1 WCHA) finally returns home to… Read more »

The Wisconsin volleyball team will gain national attention this weekend as it travels to Ohio State and Penn State, two of the top teams in the conference. The Badgers will take on the No. 15 Buckeyes Friday and will then have a date with third-ranked Penn State Sunday, a match… Read more »

Since she was six years old, Alex Rigsby has been suiting up in 20 extra pounds of gear. And up until her first year in college, she has used that gear to stop shots from the sticks of men’s hockey teams. Rigsby, the starting goaltender for the University of Wisconsin… Read more »

Meeting with the press for the first time since his injury, Josh Gasser took a seat with his left leg resting on a separate chair. The brace that covers Gasser’s resting leg now serves as a grisly reminder to the Wisconsin guard, teammates and press alike of the season-ending injury… Read more »

For many sports, having a good goaltender can sometimes be the vital X-factor that separates a good team from a great team. After earning its first shutout of the season Friday in a 2-0 win in the first game of a series against No. 14 Minnesota-Duluth, the Wisconsin men’s hockey… Read more »

It was almost as if everyone was in denial. As Joel Stave collapsed on the field, rabid fans in the student section and reporters in the press box alike needed a minute to digest the situation. We knew Stave had been driven into the ground by the beast known as… Read more »

If this season has been one of change for the University of Wisconsin football team, the trend will only continue as coaches decide who to move forward with at quarterback. Head coach Bret Bielema confirmed earlier reports that UW (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) starting quarterback Joel Stave suffered a season-ending… Read more »

As the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department prepares to honor one of its most successful coaches, men’s hockey coach Mike Eaves remembered the life of “Badger Bob” Johnson. The ice sheet at the Kohl Center will be renamed “Bob Johnson Rink” Friday prior to the Badgers’ game against Colorado College.… Read more »

When asking any athlete about their experience playing on a U.S. national team, one assumes the sport in question is implied. That is until you meet Alev Kelter. “Well,” she hesitated, “For what sport?” And added a laugh after being presented the question. The senior for the University of Wisconsin… Read more »

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column that overflowed with optimism at the rapidly growing scene that has been soccer in the U.S. over the last decade. But that was before American soccer star Landon Donovan had an interview with ESPN FC, ESPN’s soccer blog, revealing his reservations about… Read more »

In an SEC-style defensive battle where yards quickly turned into a rarefied prize, it only took one mistake to cost the Wisconsin football team its first home defeat in more than three years. Wisconsin (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) cornerback Darius Hillary couldn’t turn around soon enough when Michigan State (5-4,… Read more »

It looked like quarterback Joel Stave was finally finding his rhythm in the offense — and against one of the best defenses in the nation, nonetheless. But all it took was one destructive hit to leave Wisconsin’s (6-3, 3-2 Big Ten) season in question. With what is now being reported… Read more »

If there’s something I’ve learned in my life as both a fan of sports and as a journalist, it’s that athletic prowess and success can be taken away at the drop of the hat. Or a single hit. Or an ACL tear. But that’s just the nature of sports. The… Read more »

Wisconsin starting quarterback Joel Stave will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left collarbone against Michigan State Saturday, according to a report from Jake Zimmermann at WKOW. Stave, a redshirt freshman, went down less than 10 seconds into the third quarter when 6-foot-7, 278-pound Michigan State defensive end… Read more »

The Wisconsin defense’s swagger is back; Montee Ball and James White are running with renewed fury. Both are about to run into their biggest challenge of the season: Michigan State. As the Badgers’ offense continues to build a consistent identity behind a rushing attack that has pounded its way to… Read more »

For the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, the season could not have started much worse. After a disappointing pair of losses to Northern Michigan Oct. 12 and 13 in the opening series of the season, UW heads into a vital series against Minnesota-Duluth (2-2) Friday and Saturday if it is to… Read more »

There’s a scene in the epic Martin Scorsese film “Gangs of New York” in which Daniel Day-Lewis’ character, Bill the Butcher, refers to a picture of his long-dead rival on the wall and utters, “He was the only man I ever killed worth remembering.” To me, the only rivalry in… Read more »

Being on your own for the first time is the stressful task most people take on in their first weeks of college, but for freshman Courtney Burke, that was an adjustment she had to make at the age of 13. The UW women’s hockey player moved 1,039 miles away from… Read more »

There once was a time during the nonconference season when the very idea of the Wisconsin football team playing its Big Ten slate was enough to make one recoil in fear. After letting one too many wheel routes get past them against Northern Iowa, taking more than 58 minutes to… Read more »

When Wisconsin running back Montee Ball hit the spotlight a year ago, national media couldn’t get enough of the fact that at one point, the Heisman finalist was buried at No. 3 on the Badgers’ depth chart. But there’s another player on UW’s roster who has had a similar story… Read more »

Just like that, the memories came rushing back. There were the Wisconsin running backs, streaking through the Greyhound Bus-sized gaps along the offensive line and continuing to pound the ball down the field. Minnesota knew exactly what was coming next — James White or Montee Ball bull-rushing his way into… Read more »

Following a 38-13 win Saturday over Minnesota, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema praised the character shown by running back tandem Montee Ball and James White this season. In his weekly press conference Monday, Bielema said the pair’s production this season is partially a product of their camaraderie. The duo combined… Read more »

After getting his suspension reduced to 30 percent of the season Friday, Wisconsin men’s hockey forward Nic Kerdiles announced he will stay in Madison for the upcoming season. In a press conference Monday, the highly-touted freshman said there was never a doubt he would remain a Badger and put his professional… Read more »

In a game that saw the Badgers earn their ninth consecutive victory against Minnesota in the annual border battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the offense continued its ascension back to its 2011 form despite shaky play at times from redshirt freshman quarterback Joel Stave. While the running game maintained its… Read more »

For the ninth season in a row, Paul Bunyan’s Axe will call Madison, Wis., home. Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) leaned on the combined 341 rushing yards and five touchdowns of standout tailbacks Montee Ball and James White to run past border rival Minnesota (4-3, 0-3) 38-13 at Camp Randall… Read more »

Paul Bunyan’s Axe stood in all its glory at the edge of the field at the Dave McClain Athletic Facility Wednesday night. As the Wisconsin players ran off at the conclusion of practice, each tapped the red face of the axe, an homage to the importance of Saturday’s rivalry and… Read more »

No bigger stage could be set for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s home opener. “It’s going to be a great experience; you only get one chance to open up a building,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “It’s going to be a special night.” The team will face off against Bemidji… Read more »

The place: the Metrodome. The date: Oct. 15, 2005. With the Gophers lining up for the punt, the Badgers, down 31-34 with just 38 seconds remaining in the game, send an all-out block. Minnesota’s punter, Justin Kucek, his back leg near the goal line, fumbles the snap and Wisconsin’s Jonathan… Read more »

Off the field, he’s a gentleman. He’s said to treat everyone as his brother, is well-mannered and apparently has a thing for chewing gum. Talking to him, you notice a slight southern accent in his soft voice to match his manners. Then you have to remind yourself  whom you are… Read more »

When Wisconsin fullback Derek Watt logged onto Facebook during the Packers game Sunday night, high school friends lit up his feed with comments about how difficult it was to believe that was indeed their former high school classmate eyeing Aaron Rodgers from the right edge of the defensive line. There… Read more »

Three years ago, when AJ Cochran heard of Wisconsin, he fell in love almost immediately. The Big Ten atmosphere, the 40,000-plus students, the social scene and excellence in academics all appealed to the then high school senior. While still in pursuit of finding the university where he would like to… Read more »

When point guard Jordan Taylor took his final steps on the hardwood in a Wisconsin uniform in a heartbreaking one-point loss to Syracuse seven months ago, he left a power vacuum for the lead role of the Badgers’ offense. Who would fill in for his 14.8 points and 11.5 field… Read more »

While the Summer Olympics officially ended over two months ago, repercussions from one game in particular in the women’s soccer competition still haven’t faded away. The game, played between the U.S. women’s national soccer team and Canada’s women’s team in the semifinal of the Olympic competition, would not be decided… Read more »

“Is this the game you’ve been looking for all year?” asked a reporter following Saturday’s game. “Uh, yeah,” Bret Bielema said with a slight smile. The Wisconsin football head coach couldn’t seem to find any more words, stumbling over cliché phrases and something about “moving forward” as usual. But he… Read more »

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The race was on, and as the clock expired and Wisconsin cruised to a 38-14 victory over Purdue Saturday, the Badgers had created a sizable gap from the competition. In pursuit of the front seat for the Big Ten Leaders Division title and locking down its… Read more »

WEST LAYFAYETTE, Ind. — With the rain pouring down throughout an afternoon game between Purdue and Wisconsin, it became evident the winner at the line of scrimmage would likely determine the victor. And the Badgers didn’t just win the battle. They annihilated their opponent. With a complete effort from both… Read more »

When Wisconsin lines up on the offensive side of the ball against Purdue Saturday, the game will have the vintage trademarks of smash mouth Big Ten football. A physical, explosive running back deftly reading blocks behind a massive offensive line, a physically overpowering group of defensive linemen awaiting Montee Ball… Read more »

With five games left in the regular season, the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team is looking to finish the season strong, a campaign starting this weekend in its final two home games. In a match that will honor the team’s seniors, Wisconsin (8-5-1, 1-4-1 Big Ten) will take on… Read more »

Raise your hand if you are on Twitter or Facebook. Yeah that’s what I thought. It’s ok folks, I’m constantly tuned in to both. But these days words like “make your profile private” and “don’t share any of your personal information online” are becoming everyday turns of phrase just like… Read more »

As the buzz began surrounding the 2012 football season, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema repeatedly stated his excitement for the depth and experience returning on the defensive line. More specifically, the group with the deepest depth on the roster belonged to the Badgers’ defensive ends. Returning five players who saw… Read more »

Ever since he first stepped foot on campus, James White has been labeled as second-best. As a freshman, White was tabbed as the second running back behind then-returning 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year John Clay. A year later, he found himself slotted behind the record-breaking stats of… Read more »

While most freshmen experience a tough time adjusting to college classes and living on their own when they arrive on UW’s campus in August, freshman midfielder Anders Kristensen had to adjust to a new country. Kristensen, who grew up in Silkeborg, Denmark, has been playing competitive soccer since he was… Read more »

For just one week, for 60 minutes on the field, head coach Bret Bielema must toss aside his prized “1-0” mentality and realize the significance of this week’s matchup in West Lafayette, Ind. When asked about the importance of this game, Wisconsin’s head coach has continued the typical coachspeak —… Read more »

Considering the strong play of his linebackers this season, perhaps it’s good that Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema is getting them confused. In his weekly press conference Monday, Bielema mistakenly named Mike Taylor the defensive most valuable player for the week. Later, however, he realized he had given the… Read more »

If I were to tell you I watched a sporting event this weekend that had a crowd of 66,452 people in the stands, what sport would you guess I was watching? Your first guess would probably be a football game of some kind. Or maybe you would have guessed a… Read more »

And I thought “As the World Turns” was the best soap opera on TV. OK, I’ve never watched a soap opera, you caught me. The only time I’d be suckered into watching that sappy genre of a television show has been when I’m sick and stuck at home, too ill… Read more »

Providing a much-needed boost out of the backfield in Wisconsin’s 31-14 win over Illinois Saturday was not former Heisman finalist Montee Ball, the tailback who faced enormous expectations coming into this year. Rather it was James White, the quick-footed junior running back known more for his flashy cutbacks than his… Read more »

Before the Wisconsin football team took the field Saturday, it had yet to put together a full four-quarter game. While it still didn’t accomplish that task in a 31-14 win over Illinois, the team did at least play a complete game in the fourth quarter. The Badgers (4-2, 1-1 Big… Read more »

Coming off a much-needed home victory against Cleveland State, the University of Wisconsin men’s soccer team is looking to build off that momentum and transfer it to the road, as it travels to Bloomington Saturday for a matchup with 14th-ranked Indiana. Indiana is arguably the premier team in Big Ten… Read more »

In the days since the Wisconsin football team muffed its chance at reversing the gloomy narrative its season has going for itself, several specific plays have refused to leave my mind alone. Up 14-3 with under five minutes left in the first quarter, Wisconsin lines up on 2nd and 9… Read more »

This week’s selection for Badger Herald Athlete of the Week came down to the wire. Scratch that — it came down to the final pitch. While senior pitcher Meghan McIntosh set the tone for Wisconsin by throwing a no-hitter and facing the minimum 21 batters in the team’s 4-0 win… Read more »

A season ago, tight end Jacob Pedersen was the unexpected breakout player, the bonus threat to an elite quarterback in Russell Wilson and a receiving crew led by Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis. Finishing third on the team behind Abbrederis and Toon with 356 receiving yards on 30 receptions, the… Read more »

Déjà vu, anyone? No, you weren’t seeing a replay of last year’s Wisconsin team on the road this past Saturday, and yes, Nebraska scored 20 unanswered points to overcome a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to beat Wisconsin 30-27, the second biggest comeback in Huskers’ history. Once again, in… Read more »

After living in Wisconsin for her whole life, senior defender/midfielder and Wisconsin women’s soccer team captain Lindsey Johnson left her comfort zone and spent her summer in one of the most bustling cities in the United States: Seattle. It’s one thing to go from Sussex, Wis., with a population just over 10,000… Read more »

Every Wisconsin fan watching the game Saturday did a double take when No. 6 entered the game on the game-deciding drive with just under three minutes left in a Memorial Stadium growing louder with each snap. No, there was no way Danny O’Brien, the transfer savior-turned backup quarterback and clipboard manager could… Read more »

LINCOLN, Neb. — When it comes to third-and-short, or fourth-and-short, Wisconsin has not had much luck converting the once-easy situational downs. And it’s a problem that made the trip with them to Memorial Stadium this weekend. With just more than a minute left in the game, Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1 Big… Read more »

LINCOLN, Neb. — It came down to a battle of wills. And some bad luck. Down on the scoreboard with just more than a minute remaining, the Badgers attempted to run senior tailback Montee Ball off the right side on a fouth-and-1 behind their usually-dominant offensive line. But Saturday night,… Read more »

One year ago, Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez fell apart under the lights of Camp Randall. He threw three interceptions and connected on just half of his 22 passing attempts. He served as the microcosm of a Cornhuskers team that looked overmatched in its Big Ten debut. But it’s a new… Read more »

Three hundred and sixty four days ago, Camp Randall roared. The normally solid red bowl was freckled black. Nebraska was finally in town. But little to its knowledge, Nebraska was about to receive one of the worst welcomes to the Big Ten it could have feared. It was highly… Read more »

It is a difficult transition for any college student to move away from home and settle into a new place. The shift to a university means adjusting to a new home, new friends and a new lifestyle — this can be daunting to even the most well-equipped high school graduates.… Read more »

Purdue is riding high heading into the opening weekend of Big Ten play. The Boilermakers handily defeated Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Michigan by a combined score of 102-22. Purdue’s one loss came in a 20-17 loss on the road to No. 10 Notre Dame on a field goal with seven… Read more »

His graceful yet explosive running style and ability to outrun Nebraska linebackers and defensive backs may be the key to Wisconsin pulling off the upset in Lincoln. And no, I’m not talking about Montee Ball. I’m talking, of course, about dreadlocked running back Melvin Gordon, whose head-turning 112-yard day against… Read more »

Joel Stave knows about being in pressure-filled situations. Last April, the Badgers’ redshirt freshman took the stage in front of a large audience at the 2012 “Buckinghams,” a formal event that showcases student-athletes’ talents off the field and honors success academically and athletically. Playing and singing a rousing rendition of… Read more »

After recovering from a torn ACL, only to then tear her meniscus, fans may wonder if Paige Adams ever thought about not returning to the soccer field. If you ask her, her response may include belting out the words of singer Gloria Gaynor, “Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think… Read more »

After four games, it’s hard to find the words to describe how to feel after the first month of Badger football. Maybe it’s comparable to that relationship where things just seemingly don’t work right away, but optimism remains that it will come to fruition eventually. Or maybe it’s more along… Read more »

Nick Lamaison looked poised and confident as he led the Miners on a clock-eating drive, converting three consecutive third downs. Down 23-16, University of Texas at El Paso’s offense appeared destined for the end zone before a key pass breakup from free safety Dezmen Southward forced a field goal. It… Read more »

Let the Joel ‘Sunshine’ Stave era begin. For now, anyway. As the first freshman quarterback to start for Wisconsin since Jim Sorgi in 2000, Stave led Wisconsin to a 37-26 win over University of Texas at El Paso in its final nonconference match of the season Saturday. The Greenfield, Wis.,… Read more »

Wisconsin’s offense cannot seem to avoid drama from week to week. With a new offensive line coach last week, this week a perceived quarterback competition obscured who would start under center Saturday against Texas at El Paso (1-2). Last Saturday, as the Badgers (2-1) trailed Utah State 14-3 at halftime,… Read more »

Only one word can describe the UW men’s soccer team as it heads into its first game of the Big Ten season at the McClimon Complex Friday against Penn State: prepared. After what has already been a roller coaster of a season, the Badgers currently sit at 2-2-3 after nonconference… Read more »

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema confirmed redshirt freshman Joel Stave will start at quarterback against Texas-El Paso at his press conference Thursday. Stave landed the first game experience of his career in the second half of a 16-14 win over Utah State Saturday, connecting on two of the six passes… Read more »

Quantity doesn’t always equal quality. When it comes to measuring a player’s impact in any sport, a particular focus — sometimes even to the level of obsession — is paid on statistics. So it comes as no surprise that the Badgers’ defensive tackles haven’t received the credit they deserve for… Read more »

The first snap against Northern Iowa. That was when redshirt freshman and newly crowned No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Fredrick knew he had officially locked up a starting wide receiver spot, donning the jersey of his hometown team, the very one he grew up cheering for. A lifelong Madison resident… Read more »

For Chase Rau, the small town of Sparta, Mich., means everything. It’s the place he calls home, it’s where he first made headlines and it’s where his biggest fans reside. Most importantly, Sparta is also his motivation. Throughout his high school years, the town of 4,180 actually seemed to focus… Read more »

Rose • ŸBowl-itis (n.): a disorder leaving fans with excessive feelings of confidence or hope before the season starts; symptoms include booking flights to Los Angeles and hotels in Pasadena in August; most prevalent in the Midwest I, too, was a victim of the hype, my dreams driving deeper with… Read more »

Change has become a common thread for the Wisconsin football team in 2012. But with the near endless change around the team through the first three weeks of the season, head coach Bret Bielema has tried to maintain a sense of stability around the program. “It’s really just kind of… Read more »

It is 85 millimeters in diameter, seven millimeters thick and weighs less than 400 grams. It is smaller than most smart phones, but for Carmelina Moscato, the newest addition to the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer coaching staff, her Olympic bronze medal is beyond a possession. It is a symbol… Read more »

Through the first half of Saturday’s game against Utah State, the most impressive unit to grace the field for Wisconsin was not the Badger football team. After an abysmal showing in the first half that left UW down by 11 points and barely clinging on to life, the expert execution… Read more »

If adversity builds character, then this Wisconsin team has it in spades. After another nail-biting, come-from-behind win in week 3 against a solid Utah State team, the Badgers have made it clear that this year, it’s all about survival. Even with the offense looking more like a David than its… Read more »

For nearly three quarters Saturday night, Badger fans were eerily quiet. With the Wisconsin offense stagnant and the team down 14-3, Kenzel Doe took it upon himself to change that. The sophomore returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown, electrifying the crowd as Wisconsin (2-1) scored 13 of its… Read more »

Following the humbling loss to Oregon State last weekend, senior tight end Jacob Pedersen stood in front of the offense at a meeting Sunday with a simple message: Believe. Clearly shaken by the upset at Reser Stadium, the Badgers sit at a pivotal point in the season, with more… Read more »

One play. That’s all it took this past Saturday for redshirt sophomore Michael Trotter to go from backup to starting strong safety on the Wisconsin defense. While battling in the third quarter of last week’s loss to Oregon State, starting strong safety Shelton Johnson went to fill in on a… Read more »

Shock and surprise rocked the Wisconsin football program Sunday night when head coach Bret Bielema announced the departure of offensive line coach Mike Markuson. But the surprises didn’t end there. Markuson’s replacement was none other than an untested UW graduate assistant, Bart Miller. “Oh I was definitely surprised,” running backs… Read more »

While many students at the University of Wisconsin spent their summers catching up with old friends, going on vacation or interning in their respective fields of study, Mohammed Ahmed — better known as “Mo” by teammates — managed to do all three. He spent quality time with his friend Cam… Read more »

While the UW men’s basketball season may still be nearly two months away from its regular season opener at the Kohl Center Nov. 11, it’s already that time of year again for UW students to reserve their spots in the Grateful Red student section for the 2012-2013 season. Since its… Read more »

Bret Bielema just launched a high-stakes experiment. When Wisconsin’s head coach decided to replace offensive line coach Mark Markuson after a rocky start, he showed unbridled confidence not only in himself, but also in new coach Bart Miller. A program swept by change over the last nine months, Bielema’s decision… Read more »

Following the first nonconference loss of his career as the head coach at Wisconsin, Bret Bielema opted to stay positive as his team returns home to host Utah State Saturday night. Bielema praised the team’s defensive and special teams effort in Wisconsin’s 10-7 loss Saturday to Oregon State University. Bielema… Read more »

At his Monday press conference, Wisconsin head football coach Bret Bielema confirmed reports he fired Mike Markuson as the team’s offensive line coach Sunday after just two games with the team. The Wisconsin offensive line has severely underperformed this season, and Bielema cited “personal matters and a lot of things… Read more »

In a weekend of soccer at the McClimon Complex that served to remind fans just how unpredictable collegiate soccer can be, the UW men’s soccer team’s fortunes seemed to turn from dismal to promising almost overnight. After a disheartening 3-1 defeat Friday to the Florida International Golden Panthers that saw… Read more »

After losing multiple starters and coaches in the offseason, it was understandable to expect the Badgers to go through the typical bumps and bruises associated with breaking in a new team during the nonconference part of its schedule. But after just two games, it’s fair to say nobody expected this.… Read more »

Corvallis, Ore. — Aspirations of something even greater than a Rose Bowl berth for Wisconsin football almost certainly came to a humbling end at Reser Stadium Saturday, as Oregon State defeated the Badgers 10-7. Perhaps, based on postgame interviews, nobody informed UW transfer quarterback Danny O’Brien what exactly was expected.… Read more »

Although his team suffered a 35-0 thrashing against Wisconsin in 2011, Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion probably holds a special place in his heart for Camp Randall. After all, that’s where the Beavers’ quarterback won his starting job. Replacing starter Ryan Katz early in the game, then-freshman Mannion went on… Read more »

Linebacker Ethan Armstrong spends his career on the field in the shadow of two of Wisconsin’s top defensive stoppers. He’s the new face in the backfield; the third wheel on a unit stacked with talent. But this summer he finally earned due recognition for two years of regular, on-the-field action.… Read more »

When Wisconsin head coach John Trask arrived in Madison, the men’s soccer team was in a state of flux. Two years prior to Trask’s arrival witnessed the end of an era, specifically the Jeff Rohrman era, as Rohrman left the program through resignation. Another year saw the debut and quick… Read more »

There’s no doubt in anyone’s head who the go-to man for the Wisconsin football team is. No Badger fan would particularly want to daydream about what this UW team might be like without Montee Ball. But running back is a funny position. When a team’s — or, more specifically, an… Read more »

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Not much has changed for Wisconsin football’s defensive line since last year. With a junior, two redshirt juniors and a redshirt senior, the line is one of the most experienced groups on this 2012 Wisconsin squad. “We have definitely high expectations and high standards for ourselves because we’re a group… Read more »

It was an all too familiar sight for Badgers fans as Northern Iowa threaded the ball down the field, completing pass after pass and scoring in bunches. Panthers quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen threw for two touchdowns and 173 yards in the final 15 minutes, evoking painful memories of the aerial beatdowns… Read more »

It was 4th-and-two at the Wisconsin 41. The Wisconsin football team was holding onto a 26-21 lead, but its defense was struggling and Northern Iowa was threatening to take the lead with just under three minutes left in the game. As UNI redshirt freshman Sawyer Kollmorgen released his pass on… Read more »

Fame has its price. Just ask Wisconsin tailback Monteé Ball. After announcing he would return for his senior season, the hype and scrutiny surrounding the 2011 Heisman finalist rose meteorically even before the 2012 season opener. “It’s a completely different lifestyle I’m living right now,” Ball said. “Walking in as… Read more »

The Badgers are on the brink of something great. After two consecutive trips to Pasadena and two consecutive Rose Bowl losses, there’s a feeling surrounding this football program that it’s on the brink. The brink of what you ask? It’s not just a win in a BCS bowl. True, the… Read more »

A fresh ACC quarterback transfer, six new assistant coaches and the surprising return of a Heisman finalist later, expectations for Wisconsin football are soaring. As Wisconsin continues its march to stamping its name among college football’s elite, a third consecutive Big Ten title and BCS berth are no longer simply… Read more »

CHICAGO – Despite a free agency-type situation befalling Penn State’s football team, the majority of Big Ten coaches said Thursday they are not jumping at the chance to woo any Nittany Lions. Among that majority is Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema, who said he decided not to contact any players… Read more »

CHICAGO — Just as Hermione Granger corrected Ron Weasley’s incorrect pronunciation (“it’s levioooosa, not leviosaa”), Brett Bielema confirmed the correct way to pronounce his Heisman candidate’s name. Start getting used to it kids, it’s Mon-tay, not Mon-tee. As Bret Bielema addressed the media on the first day of the Big… Read more »

On June 30, former Badger defenseman Justin Schultz confirmed what everyone had been anticipating for weeks: He’s finally making the jump to the NHL. After days of guessing where he might end up off a short list of teams that included Vancouver, New York, Toronto and Ottawa, the two-time All-American… Read more »

Mohammed Ahmed still remembers etching “Olympian” under future occupation in the yearbook as an eighth-grader in Canada. Seven years later, that prediction has turned into reality for the Wisconsin cross country and track and field athlete who just finished his junior year. Clocking a time of 27 minutes, 34 seconds… Read more »

The past two years, the Wisconsin Badgers have made the trip to Pasadena. That’s a remarkable feat for any team. Two consecutive years of finding a way through the highs and lows, rebounding from last-second losses and finding a way to get to one of the premiere stages in college… Read more »

Justin Schultz is an Oiler. The West Kelwona, B.C. native and highly touted defenseman is foregoing his senior year at UW to start his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers. Ever since Wisconsin’s playoff run ended on March 11 in Denver, Schultz’s return was called into question. At the time,… Read more »

Well, damn. Another semester has passed by, except this time for so many other seniors and myself, it’s our last one. This is my final column for The Badger Herald, and as nostalgic and teary-eyed as I’d love to make you, I don’t think that’s what these spaces are for.… Read more »

Best Team — Men’s Cross Country While many might expect to find Montee Ball and Co.’s resilient Rose Bowl squad here, the oft-forgotten men’s cross country squad pulled off an even greater feat — winning the national championship. National Coach of the Year Mick Byrne boasted a roster replete with… Read more »

In a season that showed flashes of greatness and moments that would rather be forgotten, the Wisconsin women’s tennis team continues to look toward young talent for future success. The team’s season came to an end at the hands of No. 53 Indiana in the first round of the Big… Read more »

Just three games separate the Wisconsin softball team and the end of the regular season, but those same three games remain instrumental in the Badgers’ chances at postseason play. The Badgers (33-17, 12-8 Big Ten) will travel to Lincoln, Neb., for a weekend series with the Cornhuskers (31-21, 12-8 Big… Read more »

For what now seems like an eternity, the New Orleans Saints have been rocked by scandal and suspensions for what can only be deemed as “Bountygate.” As an NFL investigation revealed, the New Orleans Saints implemented a bounty system under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009 to 2011 in which… Read more »

Back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances go a long way in building a nationally recognized football brand. But in 2012, the Wisconsin football program has the chance to take a final, long-awaited step forward. After spending years adjacent to the circle that surrounds college football’s “elite” programs, Wisconsin has the opportunity next… Read more »

After the race of his life at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., April 29, men’s distance track runner Mohammed Ahmed has nearly solidified himself a spot in the 2012 Olympic Games this summer in London. His 10,000-meter time of 27 minutes and 34 seconds, which was… Read more »

More than anything, hockey head coach Mike Eaves’ objectives and coaching style are most likely a result of his own playing career. After his triumphs in college, Eaves spent some time playing for the Oklahoma City Stars, a farm team for the Minnesota Stars. He knew he was not the… Read more »

Standing at about 5-foot-10, Mike Eaves, 55, is not intimidating in stature. He will be the first to make jokes about his physical appearance, which does not bear the extreme marks of a former hockey player — no noticeable missing teeth and no telltale crooked nose that was broken one… Read more »

Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Wisconsin softball team is hoping to bounce back from a difficult weekend as it reflects on what has been a largely successful season so far. The Badgers (33-17, 12-8 in conference) lost both games of a doubleheader to the nationally… Read more »

With apologies to Grantland Rice: Outlined against a blue-gray May sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Evans, Kleist, Brackeen and that kid who draws “Tanked Life” (Steven?). They formed the… Read more »

While it’s a topic somewhat removed now, I can’t help but shake off the nagging thoughts that came immediately after the Washington Capital’s right-winger Joel Ward ended the Boston Bruins season. Fans, not only loyal to Boston, but other NHL teams as well, took to Twitter expressing their disappointment in… Read more »

I never knew Junior Seau, nor did I know much about him as a person prior to this week. I was well aware he was an All-Pro linebacker who spent several seasons (13, to be exact) with the San Diego Chargers. There, he forged an identity as a talented, relentless… Read more »

When words fail to decide disagreements, the human race has found a much more primal way to decide its differences. It’s a sport riddled with has-beens, glory-seekers and drunk college students as both sides struggle to hack away at a slow moving ball the size of a grapefruit. Yes, the… Read more »

With just six games remaining, the Big Ten softball title race is finally starting to take shape, and for the first time in program history, the Wisconsin Badgers will have a major say in how it ends. Although the Badgers currently reside in a tie with Iowa for fourth place,… Read more »

The Wisconsin softball team is streaking through the wins column at Goodman Diamond. Winning its 12th and 13th straight game at home, a program record, Wisconsin (33-15,12-6 Big Ten) rode two strong pitching performances to sweep Green Bay (21-25, 10-11 Horizon League) 4-0 and 5-2 in a doubleheader Wednesday night.… Read more »

The Bradley Braves (19-28, 9-14 MVC) gave the Wisconsin Badgers (31-15, 12-6 Big Ten) all they could handle Tuesday night. Playing at the friendly confines of Goodman Diamond on a beautiful spring night, the Badgers rode junior pitcher Meghan McIntosh’s (6-5) arm the distance to 2-0 win against the Braves.… Read more »

Summer is generally a time for Wisconsin athletes to rest up and prepare for the challenges of the looming season. Football players put in long hours in front of the empty Camp Randall bleachers, envisioning the fall gamedays when it will be packed with more than 80,000 fans. Cross country… Read more »

On a linebacking corps that features two of Wisconsin’s most explosive playmakers in Chris Borland and Mike Taylor, a high stakes sweepstakes is underway for the chance to complete that trio. But as Saturday’s spring game concluded the spring football season, the battle for the outside linebacker spot alongside this… Read more »

A strong regular season doesn’t necessarily lead to playoff success, a lesson the Wisconsin men’s rugby team learned the hard way in its Elite Eight loss to the Davenport University Panthers in the USA Rugby National Playoffs last weekend. Following a regular season that consisted of mostly blowout victories, the… Read more »

If you’re an unorthodox sports fan, you may very well rue the day when Mr. Irrelevant is called and the NFL draft ends. It’s a fantastically underrated sporting event. For me, a football fan, all I need to consider is the fact that there hasn’t been any football on television… Read more »

On Saturday, I covered just my second Wisconsin football spring game since being on campus. And let me tell you, like every other year, it was much ado about nothing. As great as it is to touch base with the team and see how it’s starting to develop in the… Read more »

While Wisconsin’s battle for the starting quarterback gig headlined the 2012 spring game, the Badgers’ No. 1 defense kept the backup offense out of the endzone in a 21-10 victory for the Cardinal. In a game that paired the Cardinal — Wisconsin’s probable starters this fall — with their backups… Read more »

It wasn’t anything fancy, but the Wisconsin football team’s offense made two trips to the endzone in Saturday’s spring game, which is twice more than anyone could have said about the team a year ago at this point in the offseason. The starting units of the “Cardinal” team took out… Read more »

It’s finally time to start thinking about next year. Almost five months have passed since Wisconsin fans last saw the Badgers play some football, and Saturday offers the only public sneak peak until the 2012 opening kickoff against Northern Iowa on Sept. 1. With spring camp coming to a close,… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin has fielded a softball team for 16 years and has never been able to finish in the top three of the Big Ten. Plenty of seasons have passed by with Wisconsin closing play at or near the bottom of the conference. However, head coach Yvette Healy… Read more »